The Rangers currently have five defensemen under the age of
28 on their roster and two more top prospects on the way, so it’s very likely
New York will be looking to add some offensive firepower with its first-round
pick, No. 15 overall in the NHL Draft.

Between now and June 24th, we’ll take a look at some of the
forwards that the Rangers might be thinking about taking on draft
day. Today, we look at…

THN – “Having his team shocked by being swept in the first
playoff round did not do anything to help Shane Prince’s stock, particularly
since he was limited to just one goal in three games.But Prince remains an intriguing prospect in
that he can create offense.However,
much like Zack Phillips and Ty Rattie, Prince doesn’t have great size and is a
questionable skater.‘All he does is
score,’ a scout said.‘You want to knock
his size and everything, but the results are there.’Prince has already played three years in the
OHL and almost tripled his offense from a year ago.‘He has good hands and while he’s not a thick
kid, he seems to be big enough,’ another scout said.‘He’s big enough that he can take the
traffic.’Others are not as impressed
with Prince, who sustained a concussion late in the season.‘There’s a lot of flash and dash,’ another
scout said, ‘but I’m not sure how much substance there is.’”

The Scouting Report –“Prince is a diminutive forward who
really burst onto the scene playing with Tyler Toffoli and Ryan Martindale this
season, forming one of the top trios in the OHL. While undersized, Prince is a
good offensive player and has a wealth of talent that he usually showcases
several times during the course of a game. He’s got very good hands and has
deceptive speed that he will use to throw off the defense to make a nifty pass
to set up a teammate. He’s also got a good shot of his own and does a good job
finding space to get a shot off. We have some concerns about Prince’s
competitiveness, as he is guilty of taking shifts off, and the fact that he
hasn’t convinced us that he’s going to be more than a great junior player.”

Bruins 2011 Draft Watch – “OK- we admit it. B2011DW is more bullish
on this Spencerport, N.Y. native than most. We just feel that even with the
smallish size and criticisms about Prince taking shifts off, that he has
legitimate scoring upside at the next level. Some question it, but we think he
can certainly bring it when healthy and on top of his game. His hands are
terrific- he's Mark Recchi-like in terms of the way he makes plays from
the wing, preferring to dish and set up teammates rather than finish off the
plays. At the same time, he does have nifty wrister that comes off his stick in
a flash. He scored Team Cherry's only goal of the Top Prospects Game on
precisely such a drive, making a quick head fake as if to pass and then wiring
a laser through Jordan Binnington's legs. Also like Recchi, he doesn't
have elite speed for a smaller guy, but is strong on his skates and just seems
to know where to be when the play needs to be made. He injured his shoulder,
missing some games and then got blasted in the open ice with a violent hit that
caused his head to strike the ice. Prince returned to action pretty soon
thereafter, but it did raise some questions about his durability and the dings
he's going to take as he moves up to higher levels. At the end of the day, we
simply like this player enough to have him knocking on the door of the late
first-round and feel that he has the skill and intestinal fortitude, plus
passion for the game to make it as a top-six scorer someday.”

Yahoo!
Sports – “The biggest knock on Prince from scouts is his small frame, he isn’t
exactly able to power his way past defenders, though he’s managed to use his
other attributes – good skating, excellent speed and great hands – playing on
the 67’s top line along with Tyler Toffoli and Ryan Martindale, both NHL draft
picks who played in the Prospects Game last year.‘In today’s game I don’t think size is a big
issue at all,’ Prince said. ‘I don’t consider myself a strong player and a lot
of people may say, yeah, my size (is) maybe small, but I completely disagree. I
think it has to do more with your skill and your speed and your strength, and I
think I have a lot of that.’”

Alan
Bass – “The best part of Prince’s game is his skating. He has flashy speed and
great hockey sense, which makes up for his lack of abilities on other aspects
of the game. His size is his biggest disadvantage, but his two-way play is not
far behind. Scouts are worried about his ability to develop properly in an NHL
atmosphere, but Prince likes his chances.”

Thoughts: Like a number of forwards eligible for the 2011
NHL Draft, there are concerns about Shane Prince’s size.He is a strong skater and is good at creating
offense, but his compete level and upside are in question.Prince’s point totals exploded this year, but
that could be as much a result of the quality of his linemates as anything
else.There are split opinions on
Prince, some think that he has what it takes to be a solid top-six winger in
the NHL and others think he’s going to be nothing more than a dynamic junior
player.That’s probably too much of a
risk for the Rangers on draft day, but Prince could be a first-round pick.

The Rangers took Michael Del Zotto out of the OHL in 2008
and frequently draft prospects from the league.